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| INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL ON EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES | |
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Home > Highlights > Fall 2006 - Summer 2008
Highlights: Fall 2006 - Summer 2008In This IssueCategory of Linkswww.disabilitypreparedness.gov Contact Usdisability.preparedness@dhs.gov IntroductionPursuant to Executive Order 13347, Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness, the Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities (ICC) is comprised of senior leadership from Federal departments and agencies within the executive branch. These leaders have enthusiastically applied their time, resources, and knowledge addressing issues and concerns relating to emergency management and individuals with disabilities. Their ongoing commitment to ensuring that emergency mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery plans encompass the needs of people with disabilities is highly laudable. Since the Council’s inception in 2004 member agencies have elevated these issues in priority and have been achieving significant progress as illustrated in the highlights provided below. These selected progress and accomplishment highlights reflect the Federal executive departments and agencies unwavering commitment to these issues and provide but a modest snapshot of the tremendous amount of work being done to ensure the safety and security of individuals with disabilities before, during, and after emergencies and disasters. ICC HighlightsHomeland Security Policy and Operations Firefighters assist disaster victim player during TOPOFF 4 exercise in Portland, OR. Lead Agency: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) Accomplishment Highlights: DHS facilitated the integration of disability and other special needs planning and response considerations into a multitude of emergency management policies, strategies, and guidelines. DHS CRCL provided leadership and direction to the Special Needs Work Group established as part of the National Response Plan (NRP), now known as the National Response Framework (NRF) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS) revision processes. This working group was comprised of multiple subject matter experts and stakeholders from the Federal, State, local and tribal governments, and a host of private sector and nongovernmental organizations. Based upon the guidance and input gathered from these subject matter experts, disability and other special needs population considerations are now an integral component of these key planning and response strategies. Among the several positive results achieved from this process is the development of and inclusion in the NRF and revised NIMS a function-based definition for the term special needs populations as used in the emergency management context. CRCL and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) led an interagency working group that developed A Reference Guide: Accommodating Individuals with Disabilities in Disasters. This Reference Guide, required by Section 689 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, focuses on the equal access requirements for people with disabilities that apply to points of service that address human needs, specifically the functions and activities comprising Emergency Support Function 6 (Mass Care, Emergency Assistance, Housing, and Human Services). Target audiences include disaster relief planners and service providers from Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, nongovernmental, and private sector organizations. DHS also incorporated disability and other special needs considerations into the Top Officials (TOPOFF) 4 National Exercise – the Nation’s most recent premier terrorism preparedness exercise conducted by DHS in partnership with State and local governments as well as representatives from the international community and private sector. CRCL and the FEMA Disability Coordinator collaborated to ensure that expertise on disability and other special needs populations was integrated into the exercise. The offices successfully secured the participation of disability subject matter experts and organizational representatives as evaluators, volunteer victims, or observers in all three of the exercise venues (Arizona, Oregon, and the U.S. territory of Guam) plus the National Capital Region. State, Local, and Tribal Government OutreachLead Agency: Department of Homeland Security – Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Accomplishment Highlights: DHS engaged in outreach and provided guidance and technical assistance to State, local, and tribal government emergency planners and responders related to special needs populations. DHS CRCL coordinated the development of the first ever Emergency Management Planning Guide for Special Needs Populations as an annex to the DHS FEMA Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101. A product of extensive collaboration with stakeholders, the Planning Guide is designed for State, territorial, local, and tribal personnel for use in developing emergency operations plans that are inclusive of the entire community. The Planning Guide aids users in identifying and engaging special needs populations, upholding their civil rights, and addressing their function-based needs during an emergency. CRCL proactively provided technical assistance to emergency management personnel in 14 states, three territories, several tribal, urban and rural jurisdictions, and national associations. Through these consultations, CRCL advised personnel of the implications of emerging national planning and response policies, the application of relevant Federal civil rights laws in emergency management context, the practical application of the Emergency Management Planning Guide for Special Needs Populations, and tips for effectively engaging community representatives in planning for special needs populations. CRCL also worked in close collaboration with FEMA and contracted subject matter experts to integrate principles of function-based planning, consideration of civil rights, and importance of community involvement in planning into web- and classroom-based special needs training curricula under development by FEMA grantees for emergency planners and responders. Nongovernmental OutreachLead Agency: Department of Homeland Security – Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Accomplishment Highlights: DHS engaged in outreach and provided guidance and technical assistance to disability consumer, service, and advocacy organizations, voluntary disaster service organizations, businesses, and institutions of higher education. DHS CRCL regularly engaged in informational meetings and constructive dialogues with disability consumer, service, and advocacy organization representatives. Examples of such engagement include, but are not limited to, a consultation meeting prior to the appointment of a Disability Coordinator within FEMA; a meeting to provide a briefing on TOPOFF 4, as well as to gather input; and an informational briefing on a disaster case management pilot project. CRCL proactively collaborated with the American Red Cross (ARC), the Salvation Army, and other Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) to increase awareness and build capacity, maximize collective resources, and encourage consistency of approach in supporting individuals with disabilities and other special needs populations before, during, and after a disaster or an emergency. Examples include participation in the annual VOAD conference as a presenter and provision of input to the ARC disability-related training programs. CRCL also engaged in proactive outreach and collaboration with emergency management higher education programs to advance special needs considerations within curriculum development. In collaboration with the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) for FEMA’s Higher Education Project, CRCL policy advisors Brian Parsons and Debra Fulmer co-authored a chapter titled, The Paradigm Shift in Planning for Special Needs Populations, published in a text book by PERI. Emergency CommunicationsLead Agency: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – Disability Rights Office, Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau
Accomplishment Highlights: FCC took a number of steps to promote emergency communications for persons with disabilities, including improving emergency alert and warning systems. The following items are recent examples of the FCC’s actions: In July 2007, the FCC addressed various aspects of the current Emergency Alert System (EAS) and explored steps to advance “Next Generation” EAS. The FCC required all EAS participants to be able to receive messages formatted pursuant to the Common Alert Protocol (CAP) within 180-days of FEMA’s adoption of that standard, which facilitates accessibility of EAS messages to persons with hearing disabilities and enhances their accessibility to persons with vision disabilities. In addition, the FCC allowed mandatory use of the EAS by a state governor following introduction of CAP, provided that such use is described in a state EAS plan that is reviewed by the FCC. In April 2008, the FCC took steps towards enabling consumers to receive emergency alerts through their wireless phones, by adopting technical requirements for a Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) – a system by which commercial mobile service providers may voluntarily transmit emergency alerts to their subscribers. Also, the FCC required that cell phone alerts include a unique audio attention signal and vibration cadence on CMAS-capable handsets, to ensure better accessibility for people with disabilities and the elderly. The FCC will adopt two additional orders during the summer of 2008 addressing other components of the CMAS system and establishing a process for carriers to elect their participation. In June 2008, the FCC adopted an order to ensure that Video Relay Service (VRS) and Internet Protocol (IP) Relay users have access to emergency services that are “functionally equivalent” as access to emergency services for voice telephone users. The order requires VRS and IP Relay providers to obtain and maintain information on the physical location of their users and to automatically route emergency calls from their users to the appropriate emergency services authorities using such information. VRS and IP Relay providers must comply with these requirements by December 31, 2008. Emergency Preparedness in the WorkplaceLead Agency: Department of Labor – Office of Disability Employment Policy Accomplishment Highlights: DOL continued staffing the ICC Workplace Subcommittee and promoting the development and implementation of governmental and private sector workplace emergency preparedness plans that integrate the needs of individuals with disabilities. DOL regularly engaged in informational meetings and dialogues with disability and emergency management experts to discuss new developments pertaining to Federal and private sector workplace evacuation and preparedness techniques. This has included exchanging effective practices of Federal agency security offices and collaborating with other Federal emergency preparedness networks. Examples of this collaboration include participation in the Interagency Working Group on Emergency Preparedness as well as reciprocal participation from the Chair of this Workgroup. Additionally, there have also been discussions with representatives from the Department of Education funded Project EV-AC, which compiled national best practices on evacuating individuals with disabilities from the built environment. DOL also actively engaged with Continuity of Operations (COOP) personnel to raise awareness regarding integrating the needs of employees with disabilities in COOP planning. This includes collaboration and exchange of information between representatives of Federal security offices from the Departments of Commerce, Labor, and Agriculture on effective practices for ensuring coordination between security management, disability, and COOP offices. Building upon its publication of Preparing the Workplace for Everyone: A Framework of Guidelines for Federal Agencies in 2005, DOL continued the dissemination of the Framework to Federal officials in national, regional, and field offices. As of July 2008, 6,834 copies of the publication were distributed. Next steps include developing strategies for implementing the Framework in the private sector. DOL also conducted an in-depth review of existing stairway evacuation policies and practices of Federal agencies (General Service Administration and Department of Agriculture) as well as federally funded projects, including the Department of Education funded Project EVAC. The Subcommittee then drafted an addendum to the Framework on stairwell evacuation, which is currently in clearance. Emergency Transportation Person using a wheelchair registers for disaster assistance at a shelter. Lead Agency: Department of Transportation (DOT) – Departmental Office of Civil Rights Accomplishment Highlights: DOT has coordinated workshops, provided guidance, and funded research on developing and coordinating transit and transportation evacuation plans that are inclusive of special needs populations. Connecting Communities Public Transportation Emergency Preparedness Workshops, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA), are designed to coordinate the assets and specialized resources of transit and transportation systems with their local, county, and State response and emergency management agencies. These workshops were enhanced in the summer of 2007 to add attention to the needs of people with disabilities and other special needs in emergencies. The workshops are being conducted on an ongoing basis. The Routes to Effective Evacuations Primer Series: Evacuating Populations with Special Transportation Needs is a primer created by the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) that provides findings, lessons learned, and best practices that aid in developing evacuation plans for those with special movement requirements, including the elderly, those with medical conditions, transit-dependent populations, pets and service animals, and people being held by law enforcement officials. DOT expects to release this publication in the Summer of 2008. DOT has also worked diligently on the following research and demonstration products, funded through the Transportation Equity Research Program (TERP) and administered by the FTA: A cooperative agreement has been awarded to a coalition of academic institutions and community-based organizations led by the University of New Orleans to develop technical assistance tools, including an instructional manual and a professional development course that will assist transportation planners and community organizations in assisting transportation-disadvantaged persons in emergencies. The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Council was awarded a cooperative agreement to prepare a seven-county emergency preparedness and evacuation plan with a focus on evacuating special needs populations. The plan as well as lessons learned from the planning process will be shared with other metropolitan planning organizations. The Arlington County, Virginia, government received a cooperative agreement to synthesize its existing registries of people that use demand response transportation and to reach out to additional residents that are not currently on a registry, but may need transportation assistance in an emergency. The end product will be a more comprehensive and accurate registry of residents that can be contacted during an emergency to ensure that their safety and transportation needs are being met. Health and Human Services Workers build a ramp to create a wheelchair accessible manufactured home. Lead: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – Office on Disability Accomplishment Highlights: HHS has made several improvements in the areas of planning, grants and guidance, accommodations and access to medical supplies, and dissemination of information to “at-risk” populations. HHS has taken steps toward creating a uniform definition of “at-risk” populations that will be consistent with other terminology, such as “special needs” or “vulnerable” populations. HHS and the ARC have also developed a Shelter Intake and Assessment Tool to ensure that at-risk individuals are referred to the most appropriate shelter setting. The HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality convened a subject-matter expert panel to identify the gaps and barriers related to providing home care in a public health emergency. In the area of grants and guidance to State and local entities, the HHS Office on Disability, in collaboration with Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response, has developed a toolkit to address the needs of planners for concrete information and guidance on accounting for the needs of at-risk individuals, including persons with disabilities. On issues relating to medical supplies and countermeasures, the Federal Medical Station (FMS) cache of equipment and supplies has been expanded to include accommodations for at-risk individuals, such as bariatric patient lifts, wheelchair and walker accessibility aisles, toilet seat risers, and supplies for the care of infants. The checklist for site inspection/approval now includes accessibility items such as wheelchairs and walker accessible aisles. The FMS cache was also expanded to include a wider range of medications for managing issues for patients with behavior health disorders. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prepared a workbook to identify vulnerable populations and develop a communication outreach and information network; developed guidance for health education/ communication messages for diverse audiences; and is developing a model to describe/quantify persons with disabilities or chronic disease. The CDC/Influenza Coordinating Unit has entered into a new cooperative agreement with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) to develop evidence-based model guidance on the protection of at-risk populations during an influenza pandemic. HHS, through its Administration on Aging, conducted a series of webinars consisting of interactive dialogue between Federal, State, and local emergency preparedness planners and supportive services providers, with a particular focus on the needs of older, at-risk individuals. HousingLead Agency: Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Accomplishment Highlights: HUD engaged in education, outreach, provision of guidance and technical assistance to disability consumers, architects, builders, code inspectors, and others involved in the design and construction of multifamily housing. From Fiscal Year 2006 through the present, HUD’s Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST (Fair Housing Instruction, Resources, Support and Technical Guidance) conducted 16 classes in: Alabama (1); Florida (4); Louisiana (4); Mississippi (3); and Texas (5). The FIRST training featured one or more of the 11 training modules covering the Fair Housing Act, other disability-rights laws, and the technical requirements of designing and constructing accessible routes, public and common-use areas, kitchens, and bathrooms. Accessibility FIRST has included Section 3 training in its curriculum. Future FIRST training sessions will be conducted in Ventura, California, on July 9; and Spokane, Washington, on July 24. A significant part of HUD’s Gulf Coast effort has been to advise FEMA on disability accessibility as FEMA creates mobile home communities to provide temporary housing for the individuals and families displaced by the hurricanes. HUD provided FEMA with a design for accessible mobile homes, provided guidelines on how to make mobile home communities accessible, and worked with FEMA to establish a standard for all manufactured housing that requires at least 14 percent of such homes be accessible to persons with disabilities. HUD awarded $100,000 each to two private fair housing organizations in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to provide fair housing services to their residents. The Advocacy Center in New Orleans collaborated with the Greater New Orleans Fair Housing Action Center and Human Development Center to provide fair housing services to persons with disabilities. The University of Mississippi in Hattiesburg collaborated with the Mississippi Protection Advocacy System, Mississippi Home Corporation, and other community groups provided extensive education and outreach services to persons with disabilities, including written and electronic workshop materials. ResearchLead Agency: Department of Education – Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) Accomplishment Highlights: NIDRR conducted assessment and funding of research and developments relating to emergency preparedness and individuals with disabilities. NIDRR published Emergency Management Research and People with Disabilities: A Resource Guide. This guide provides a listing and description of research projects funded by the Federal Government and nonfederal entities, research recommendations that have resulted from conferences on emergency management and disability, and a bibliography of relevant research publications. The guide is the culmination of cooperative efforts by NIDRR, the ICC Research Subcommittee, and the New Freedom Initiative Subcommittee of the Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR). NIDRR also awarded a grant to West Virginia University to conduct research on emergency evacuation and individuals with disabilities. The Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project, Evacuation Methodology and Understanding Behavior of Persons with Disabilities in Disasters: A Blueprint for Emergency Planning Solutions, totals $1,329,015 over three years. West Virginia University will survey people with disabilities, the elderly, emergency managers and local service providers to understand emergency evacuation experiences and behaviors. They then will develop a pilot and disseminate best practice guidance. About the ICCDHS CRCL oversees the implementation of Executive Order 13347, which was signed by President Bush in July 2004. This Executive Order is designed to ensure the safety and security of individuals of disabilities in all-hazard emergency and disaster situations. To this end, the Executive Order created an Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities. The ICC is comprised of senior leadership from more than 25 Federal departments and agencies. Its mission is to ensure that people with disabilities and their specific needs are fully integrated into all aspects of our nation’s emergency management system; including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. The Secretary of Homeland Security is the Chair of the ICC, and he has delegated that role to Mr. Daniel Sutherland, the DHS Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. The Council has concentrated its work in nine major areas:
ICC Participants
For more information about the ICC please visit http://www.disabilitypreparedness.gov.
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